The Marauders Seven Years of Mayhem
by snickerdoodle131515
Summary: This is the story of five friends, from the blissful beginning to tragic end. Many wish they had friendships like theirs. This is their story.


The Marauders- Seven Years of Mayhem By snickerdoodle131515  
  
Summary: This is the tale of friends at Hogwarts, from the blissful beginning to the tragic end. Meet James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, and Peter Pettigrew. Most people would give anything to have friendships such as they had, with their mischievous adventures and troublesome pranks, never knowing that their careless existences would be interrupted by a Dark Lord, with a certain traitor in their midst who would destroy the friendships with selfish, hateful betrayal. I'm talking about the Marauders, of course. And this is their story.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters- which are the soul creation of J.K. Rowling and property of Time Warner Studios.  
  
A/N: I felt in the mood to write, so here is the first chapter of what I came up with. I have always done one-shots, with small details of Marauder adventures, and would like to try to go through year one to October 31,1981. I will update Trading Places soon; I have just got a serious case of writer's block. I will make the part about Peter short, because, well, you know.   
  
Chapter One: Five Letters  
  
Part One: James James Potter was a small, skinny boy, with unruly black hair that stuck up in all directions- a Potter gene that had been passed down for generations through the males. James had hazel eyes framed behind glasses. He is not what you would call an ordinary kid. James was the son of Julian and Henry Potter- a very powerful wizarding couple.  
  
James was their only son, and was also a wizard, who showed immense talent ever since he could walk. On one occasion at James' fifth birthday party, he had blown out his candles, except for one, which spoiled his wish of being a professional Quidditch player when he grew up. James had been very frustrated at losing his wish, when the candles suddenly re-lit. Everyone had gasped, and stared at James, who had had a curiously innocent expression on his face, he blew the candles so hard that a spark flew up and ignited his aunt's wig.  
  
Yes, James was a troublemaker, as all Potter men were. James' interest included Quidditch, fireworks, pranks, Quidditch, food, and did I mention Quidditch? James was such a troublemaker, that by the age of three his parents had decided to never have any more children after James had stolen his father's broomstick, flew through the house, tore down the curtains when he became entangled in them, and got stuck dangling over the side of the glass chandelier.  
  
On this particular morning, James was seated at the breakfast table in the Potter Manor in Godric's Hollow. James was twitching slightly in his seat, eyeing his father's bottle of firewhisky sitting on the counter-- unsupervised....  
  
Just as James' began to rise from his chair, his father entered the kitchen in his navy blue Auror robes, on his way to work. James didn't hear his father approach, and his father snapped, " Don't even think about it, James!" James yelped as he jumped at the sound of his father's voice, and quickly moved his guilty hand that had been reaching toward the bottle to the sugar bowl.  
  
" I was just getting some sugar, dad!" said James quickly, picking up the sugar bowl.  
  
" Sure, son." said Mr. Potter warily as he reached for his wand in his pocket, " Accio Firewhisky!" the bottle zoomed into his hand, and Mr. Potter emptied it down the drain, and banished the bottle, not trusting his son at all. " What do you need the sugar for?"  
  
James took a spoon from the silverware drawer, and dipped it into the sugar bowl, under his father's gaze. " What's that for?" his father inquired, just as James shoved the sugar into his mouth. His father stared at him questioningly.  
  
James' mouth was filled with sweet, grainy sugar. He could almost feel the sugar eating away at his teeth, but he didn't want his father to believe that he had almost sampled the drink. " Mmm, good sugar," James muttered as he shoveled more into his mouth, ignoring the disgusted sounds from his father. At that moment James' mother entered the room, a laundry basket under her arm.  
  
" James!" she cried. " Stop eating that sugar! You'll have to have all of your teeth drilled out of your head! Now go brush your teeth!"  
  
James ran upstairs, into his own private bathroom. He began to brush his teeth, and saw his reflection in the mirror. He grinned at his reflection; his hair was standing on end. James ran a hand over his hair; it momentarily lay flat before springing back up. As James leaned over to spit into the marble sink, he heard a sharp tap on the window.  
  
Straightening up, James saw a handsome barn owl tapping on his window, an envelope tied to its scaly leg. James opened the window and landed on the counter, in a flurry of feathers. James untied the letter from the owl's leg, and having been relieved from its burden, the owl flew away. James noticed a purple wax seal with a large H in the middle, sealing the envelope. Adrenaline coursed through James' veins as he opened the letter with shaking hands. He had been dreaming of this day for as long as he could remember. The letter had an illustration of a coat of arms with a large H, intertwined with a large lion, eagle, snake, and badger. James read the following letter:  
  
HOGWARTS SCHOOL Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY  
  
Under the new direction of Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been excepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress  
  
After thourogly savoring the excitement of being accepted into the school, James turned to the second piece of parchment.  
  
HOGWARTS SCHOOL Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY UNIFORM First-year students will require: 1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) 2. One plain pointed hat (black) for daywear 3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) 4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) Please note that all pupils' clothing should carry nametags.  
  
James read on and saw all of his required course books. James was excited to see that that he would finally be able to get his own wand and owl, but groaned in disappointment when he read the part about first-years bot being allowed broomsticks. He had heard this disappointing bit of news from his father before, but had not wanted to believe it, and now that he was faced with this dilemma, he seriously considered how much trouble he would get in for smuggling a broom into the school.... If he ever got caught, that is.  
  
It felt as though James would burst from excitement. Running down the stairs, he screamed at the top of his lungs, " Mum! Dad! I've just gotten my Hogwarts letter!"  
  
James' parents arrived so quickly that they were able to meet James at the foot of the stairs. Mr. Potter eagerly took the letter from James' outstretched hand, and his mother read over his shoulder.  
  
" Professor Dippet's retired?" asked his mother in interest. " Ooh, Professor Dumbledore's taken over? I remember him... a strange bloke-"  
  
" Strange, but brilliant!" said Mr. Potter with a smile. " He was the best teacher that I ever had at school. He taught Transfiguration in our day, though-"  
  
" Isn't he on the chocolate frog cards?" asked James, thinking back to his collection, where he had several Dumbledore cards.  
  
" It wouldn't surprise me," said his mother thoughtfully. " He's a great wizard, Dumbledore."  
  
" As I recall," said his father in reverent tones, " he discovered the twelve uses of dragon blood and defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald."  
  
" And he always passed out sweets at the end of classes," exclaimed Mrs. Potter reminiscently.  
  
" I just can't believe that we're sending James off to Hogwarts," said Mr. Potter proudly. James looked in the opposite direction, and heard his mother sniff loudly and bustle into the kitchen, muttering something about replying to the letter.  
  
His father ruffled James' hair, making it even messier than before. He then smiled and returned to the kitchen. James returned to his bedroom, and lay on his bed where he stared up at the ceiling, overwhelmed with happiness. He leaned over and rummaged through his bedside table drawer, until he found a small red and gold tin. Lifting the lid off and setting it aside, he searched the contents until he found a certain chocolate frog card. An old man smiled up at James. He had long silver colored hair, with a beard to match its length. The old man had astonishingly blue eyes, and gold half-moon spectacles. He wore purple robes, and appeared to be sucking on some sort of sweet. James grinned, and wondered if Albus Dumbledore was everything that his parents said he was....  
  
Part Two: Sirius Sirius Black sat gloomily in his bedroom at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. The young boy was fuming with suppressed anger. He pounded his fists on his desk, kicked the walls, and hurled a framed picture of his whole family at the wall, where the frame shattered, glass flying in all directions. The occupants shrieked loudly, diving out of sight as the picture fluttered to the floor.  
  
Sirius picked up the glossy portrait, and gazed down at the people in the picture. His formidable mother sat straight up in her chair, her black hair was pulled into a tight bun, and she had a horrible smirk on her face as she gazed up at Sirius. Her arm was round his younger brother Regulus, who had a sneer to match. His black hair was combed to one side, unlike Sirius' black hair that hung elegantly in his handsome face. His father, who to Sirius' immense displeasure, looked much like an older version of Sirius. His three cousins stood in front of the others, three girls. The oldest, Narcissa scowled up at him, a twisted smile playing around her thin lips. She had blonde hair, unlike the rest of the family, with blue eyes and a permanent disgusted look on her face. Bellatrix, the youngest, stood beside Narcissa. Bellatrix had thick, sleek hair and dark eyes. The middle cousin, and Sirius' favorite by far, stood with her arm around Sirius. She was wearing a genuine smile, the only kind one apart from Sirius in the whole family. Andromeda flipped back her dark hair, and the Sirius in the portrait leaned over and gave her bunny ears. She caught him and gave him a noogie, messing up his sleek hair.  
  
Sirius smiled for a moment, before shredding the picture into many tiny pieces. The only piece that remained was of him and Andromeda, which he placed carefully on his bedside table, before heading downstairs. He knew that if he stalled heading to breakfast any longer his mother would send Regulus up to get him. In Sirius' opinion, Regulus was a snooty, spoiled brat who was bent on being a proud Slytherin and upholding the Pureblood Black family honor. In his mother and father's opinions however, Regulus was the perfect little angel. They were completely blind to his snobbish behavior, as they were the same as him. They thought that they were better than everyone else is just because their family were all wizards, a cut above all of the half bloods and Muggleborns. In his parent's eyes Regulus was the perfect son. He isn't rebellious against our believes. He knows that he's better than everyone else is. He is such a better son than Sirius!  
  
Sirius' angry thoughts were interrupted when his mother caught him moping down the staircase. " Get down here now!" She hissed, grabbing Sirius' ear and pulling him down the stairs, ignoring his sharp cry of pain, she pulled harder. He saw Regulus' pale face laughing coldly at the foot of the stairs as he witnessed the scene. " Shut it, " whispered Sirius to Regulus as his mother pulled him along, glowering at his younger brother. Regulus scoffed, put on his best whiny face, and said," Mother, Sirius just kicked me." Sirius whipped around to face him, his face (and ear) both very red. " You little liar--" he began; though he never got to finish his sentence as his mother chose that moment to reel him around to face him.  
  
" How dare you, you stupid boy!" his mother shrieked, her face not more than an inch from his. " When will you ever learn?" With this said, she raised her ringed, clawlike hand and slapped Sirius across the face, sending him stumbling backwards into the wall, clutching his face. He was slightly shocked and shaking, but he continued to fight the tears of pain burning in his eyes as he glowered at the pair of them, unblinking. Regulus was laughing, and his mother had a superior look of satisfaction on her face that made Sirius sick to his stomach. He pushed past them, his face burning, and descended the stairs. He ran up the steps two at a time when he heard his mother tailing him. Sirius knocked over the family house-elf, Kreacher, in his haste, and didn't feel remotely sorry. He did a roundabout and faced his mother in the doorway.  
  
" Get back downstairs now, boy!" She hissed menacingly.  
  
" NO!" Sirius screamed, slamming the door in her face. He locked the door, panting, and slid down the smooth dark wood, where he lay, shaking on the floor. Sirius closed his eyes for several minutes, refusing to cry over such horrible people. He ignored his hunger, and had no intention of going downstairs for food. There was a tap on his window, and Sirius blearily opened one eye.  
  
An owl was tapping on his window. He never got owls...  
  
Sirius curiously approached the window. He let the owl in, and saw that it had an envelope clamped in one of its talons. Sirius took the letter from the owl, and watched sadly as it flew away from him. Sirius checked the envelope to be sure that it was indeed for him, and sure enough, written in a large, tidy scrawl, was his name.  
  
Sirius opened the letter with trembling hands, and read the following letter:  
  
HOGWARTS SCHOOL Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Under the new direction of Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)  
  
Dear Mr. Black, We are pleased to inform you that you have been excepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress  
  
Sirius smiled to himself after reading this. He had heard of Albus Dumbledore from his parents, who hated the man. Sirius knew better. They said that he was a Muggle loving old fool, and anybody who his parents hated was fine by him. Sirius could see a small ray of hope. Now, after eleven long years, he would finally be leaving this house where everybody hated him, for nearly ten glorious months. And surely he would make his first friends, who may even invite him over for the summer so that he never would have to return home.  
  
With this large bit of comfort, he read the second paper of the letter that listed all of the required equipment for school. Sirius wondered what house he would be put into. Anything but Slytherin! His mind answered quickly. He would give everything he owned to see the look of defiance on his father's face when he discovered that Sirius Black had followed in the footsteps of his cousin Andromeda to ruin the family honor. Sirius laughed out loud at this idea, and was suddenly even more eager to arrive at Hogwarts.  
  
Sirius stayed in his room all day, keeping to himself, and sleeping mostly. But by dinnertime he could not avoid his hunger anymore, so he slowly descended the staircase for the second time that day. He entered the kitchen, the letter clutched in his hand. Regulus snatched the letter from his hand, smirking. He read it quickly, and shoved it back at Sirius.  
  
" Mother, Father," called Regulus " Sirius has been accepted at Hogwarts."  
  
His parents emerged into the kitchen quickly, glowering at their oldest son as they read his letter. When they were done, his father shoved him roughly into his chair, and Sirius prepared himself for his umpteenth lecture.  
  
" Don't you dare disappoint us anymore than you already have," his father hissed. " We will not stand for you to go in the same direction as your cousin did. You will be in Slytherin. You will avoid that fool, Dumbledore. You will not associate with Mudbloods or anything below us. You will uphold the family honor-"  
  
" Yeah, whatever," called Sirius, jumping up. He turned swiftly, grabbed a roll off of the counter, and sped upstairs. Oh, how defiance felt good!  
  
Part Three: Remus A small boy with light brown hair sat alone in the forest where his life had changed, for the worst. Remus Lupin sat on a stump by the age of a small pond, gazing at his pale, peaky reflection shining in the pond. It had been here in this very forest that he had received his first werewolf bite when he had ventured off on his own into the woods when he was only four years old.  
  
But his life had also changed, in other ways than his curse that changed his body, mind, and soul once a month. His family life had also changed drastically. He had lived with his mother, who was a witch, and his father, who was a very surprised Muggle who had discovered all those years ago, that his wife, and most likely unborn child had magic in their blood. He had, of course, been astonished and confused at first. By the time their only son, Remus, had turned four, he had nearly got comfortable enough with the bits of magic that happened around the house. But one night changed all of that. In one night Remus' father had fled out of anger and confusion in fear of the monster that his son had become. He hadn't even given the situation a chance, but cowardly left, leaving his wife to deal with the tragedy on her own. Even though Remus was young, he remembered the conversation that had occurred while he had been lying, pale and green colored, listening to his parents when they thought that he was asleep.  
  
Flashback  
  
" You can't do this to him, John! I know that it's a bit of a change that may be hard for you to handle, but we can get through this! You can't leave Remus now, when he needs you more than ever!" his mother had cried.  
  
" He doesn't need me," his father had grumbled. "I'm a Muggle, remember? There's nothing I can do for him. I don't need this. I don't need him. I don't need a monster for a son!"  
  
" How dare you!" sobbed his mother. " He needs you! He needs his father! You can't leave him just because of this! Stay, John. If you love him, you wouldn't abandon him just because of this!"  
  
" I can, and I will! I don't love that monster! Now get out of my way!"  
  
End of flashback  
  
These were the last words that his father had, and would, ever hear of. Remus and his mother had received news a year later that Remus' father had been killed when he drove off a cliff while driving under the influence. Remus and his mother had lived in the cottage by the forest that had torn their families apart ever since then. Every month, Remus would transform, and his mother would be there to comfort him after the painful nights. Remus stared gloomily in his reflection, feeling depressed. He could hear a wizard boy his age shouting gleefully that he had received his Hogwarts acceptance letter. This worsened Remus' mood ten times more. He wouldn't get to go to Hogwarts; he would never get an education in magic. Monsters would never be accepted at Hogwarts. He already knew this. He had known since he got the bite, and he didn't get his hopes up by waiting for a letter.  
  
Remus jumped when he heard his mother's voice calling his name urgently. Remus rose and followed the sound of her voice, straight up to their home. His mother was waiting by the back door, a smile on her face, which was unusual nowadays....  
  
Feeling slightly hopeful, Remus followed her into the house. She led him into the sitting room where and old man sat, twiddling his thumbs and humming to himself as he stared at the ceiling. The man was wearing plum colored robes, he had a long silver beard with hair that matched it's length, and light blue eyes, with a pair of half- moon (Remus shuddered) spectacles perched on his crooked nose. The old man gave Remus a genuine smile when he saw Remus approaching.  
  
" Remus, I would like you to meet Professor Dumbledore, he is the new Headmaster at Hogwarts." his mother said happily, giving Remus a little push towards the stranger, who now had an outstretched hand. Remus reached his hand out and shook the old man's, who said, " I am pleased to meet you, young master Lupin." Remus smiled shyly.  
  
" I have some good news for you," said Dumbledore as Remus seated himself on the sofa beside the coffee table, feeling his hopes soar. Remus' mother sat beside Remus, and caressed his hand as they listened to Dumbledore.  
  
" It is with great happiness that I am now informing you that you will be able to attend Hogwarts this year-" the Professor smiled as Remus' peaky face lit up. " And I know that no other Headmaster would allow this. I know that you have a very able mind, and deserve a fair magical education just like everyone else," he reached into his robes and withdrew a letter, which he handed to Remus, who opened the letter with shaking hands, hardly daring to believe this. But it was true.  
  
HOGWARTS SCHOOL Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Under the new direction of Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)  
  
Dear Mr. Lupin,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been excepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31. Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress  
  
Remus finished reading the letter and beamed at his mother and Professor Dumbledore in turn. He appreciated the fact that the letter did not mention his condition, and he liked feeling like a normal kid, receiving the usual letter. It made him feel like he was finally excepted somewhere. " Really?" was all that he managed to choke put through his happiness.  
  
" Yes, really," said the old man, chuckling. " I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to attend school. If we take the necessary precautions, you will be a normal student all but one day out of the month, I assure you. And we can come up with cover-up stories for those. We have created a place for you to safely transform away from harm, which I will give you instructions for at a later time- as some adjustments are still being made." Dumbledore finished, smiling cheerfully.  
  
" I can go to school?" asked Remus disbelievingly, as though looking for evidence that this wasn't just a dream, or some horrible prank. When on one yelled, ''just kidding!'' Remus had to refrain himself from jumping up and shouting with joy.  
  
" Thank you," he managed to say.  
  
" You are very welcome," said Dumbledore courteously. " I look forward to seeing you at the start of term, September the first. Would you like a lemon drop?"  
  
" A lemon drop?" asked Remus curiously.  
  
Dumbledore unstuck some yellow candies and handed one to Remus, who tried it, and found himself savoring the taste of the Muggle candy.  
  
" Yes, I've always been rather found of them," said Dumbledore, offering the sweet to his mother, who accepted, while suppressing a grin of amusement.  
  
Remus couldn't stop stammering his thanks as they bid farewell to the Professor. With a small 'pop' sound, the Professor Dissaperated.  
  
" I can't believe it!" Remus shouted, jumping up. His mother pulled him into an embrace and said, " Neither can I."  
  
" But it's good, right? I mean you're not upset, are you?" asked Remus, looking sweetly concerned.  
  
" No," she sniffed. " I'm going to miss you though. And I don't like the sound of you transforming alone, though. What if you get hurt?"  
  
" I'll be fine," said Remus with an encouraging smile. " You can never visit me till morning. It'll be the same at Hogwarts. They'll fix up my injuries in the morning."  
  
Remus mother was sobbing uncontrollably now. Remus looked afraid that he had made the situation worse, when he realized that his mother was now crying tears of happiness. " I just can't believe it. This was meant to be. Professor Dumbledore was appointed Headmaster just in time for you. If it had been a year earlier, you never would have been accepted. It's a miracle, and I am so happy for you, Remus!"  
  
They sat there in silence for a while. After several minutes, his mother said, " He's a great man, Dumbledore."  
  
Part Four: Lily Lily Evans woke up early that morning, in her home that resided in the suburbs of London. Lily got out of bed, and tucked the covers back, so it looked just as it had before she had went to bed last night. Lily stood in front of her dresser mirror and brushed her long, dark red hair. Lily's pale reflection looked back at her out of pretty, almond- shaped green eyes. After Lily had brushed her hair, she headed downstairs, still in her nightdress.  
  
She searched every room in the house, and found no one up yet. Looking at the grandfather clock in the sitting room, she saw that it was only 5:34 in the morning. Lily wandered the two-story house for several minutes, before deciding to watch television. She had been watching a talk show for nearly an hour when her mother came downstairs, her dark hair in pink curlers.  
  
" Good morning, Lily." said her mother cheerfully. " I see that you're up early!"  
  
" I couldn't sleep anymore," said Lily calmly as the lady on television threw a fit.  
  
" What would you like for breakfast, dear?"  
  
" Toast, please."  
  
Just as Lily answered, her horse-faced sister, Petunia came down the stairs. Her blonde hair was in plaits and she wore a scowl.  
  
Petunia seated herself on the couch opposite Lily, and stared at the television program with distaste. " Lily, change the channel!" she said bossily.  
  
"I was here first," Lily answered sweetly.  
  
"Well, I'm older, so I decide what we watch!" exclaimed Petunia, grabbing the remote and changing it to a gardening channel.  
  
Lily scoffed. " Petunia wants to look at other petunias, how surprising!"  
  
" I see some lilies, too!" said Petunia, pointing. " Don't they use those for funerals?"  
  
Lily frowned. Maybe they did. " Petunia, I was watching the telly first. So, I get to choose what we watch!"  
  
Petunia gripped the controller tighter, having no intention of giving the remote back to her little sister. Petunia gasped as the controller rose out of her hand and flew into Lily's waiting hand, and her younger sister had a look of puzzled surprise when the remote obeyed her wish. She flipped the channel back to her program, ignoring Petunia's cries of " You freak!"  
  
Things that Lily couldn't explain were always happening to her. Everytime one of these events occurred, Petunia would shriek loudly that Lily was a freak. Once Lily had turned Petunia's hair blue when Petunia had taken her doll when they were toddlers. When Lily was in fourth grade, she had been devastated when she had forgotten to do her homework for the first time ever, and the homework had magically completed itself when the teacher asked for the papers to be turned in. Lily had received the best grade in the whole class for that assignment. There had been several other occasions, most of which were unfortunate, like the time when Lily had been swinging on the tireswing at the playground, and she spun so fast that the tire became more than a blur, and she and her friend Amanda had been thrown off and were very sick to their stomachs.  
  
Petunia's repeated shrieks of "Freak!" caused their mother to come and investigate. " Whatever are you two arguing about this time?" asked their mother, her hands on her hips and a serious look on her face. She was wearing an apron and her shoulder length hair was curly. She stood with her lips pursed waiting for en exclamation from her two quarreling daughters.  
  
At this moment, Lily's father strode down the staircase, beaming. Mr. Evans was a schoolteacher and had another paid summer off to spend with his family. His smile faltered when he saw the scene before him. " What's going on?"  
  
Petunia pointed wildly at Lily. " She stole the remote from me, so I took it back, and she made it soar right out of my hands!"  
  
" Nonsense, Petunia!" cried Mr. Evans, who also happened to be a science teacher. " Lily can't levitate the controller out of your hands! That would simply defy the laws of physics!" Lily smiled in spite of herself.  
  
" No!" said Petunia. " I saw her! She saw it! She did it on purpose! Of course, that's no surprise to me! She always was a freak!"  
  
" Lily is not a freak," said their mother sternly. There was a sudden 'tap' on the window, and four heads whipped around to see what it was. Petunia screamed when they saw an owl rapping on the window with its sharp beak, trying to get their attention.  
  
" What the-" Mr. Evans began, looking flabbergasted. " Owls in broad daylight?" The family sat there, stunned, for several minutes, watching the beautiful barn owl with wide eyes. The owl grew impatient, flew away from the window, and appeared to have dropped the letter clutched on its beak through the letter slot. Lily cautiously approached the letter as though afraid that it would explode. With a shaking hand, Lily lifted the letter, and gasped when she saw her named written tidily across the envelope. Lily peeled off the wax seal as her family watched with anticipation and curiosity. Lily gave other small gasp, and wondered if it was a joke when she read the following letter:  
  
HOGWARTS SCHOOL Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Under the new direction of Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc, Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)  
  
Dear Miss Evans,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been excepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress  
  
Lily read the letter and gave a faint laugh. Supreme Mugwump? Order of Merlin? Hogwarts? What was this nonsense? How can I be a witch? Witches were just made up old hags that rode broomsticks and turned princes into frogs that were designed to scare children at Halloween. And wasn't Dumbledore French for bumblebee? Lily handed the letter to her parents with a bemused expression on her face. As her parents read, she saw their expressions dramatically change from confusion, to wonder, to amusement.  
  
" What is this all about?" asked her father, waving the letter around.  
  
Petunia snatched it from his hand and read it, a look of horror coming across her face. " I knew it!" She hissed. " I always knew that you were a freak! And this explains it! But how can you be a witch, I mean, they're not even real!"  
  
"But," said Lily, realization striking her. " This would explain why weird stuff is always happening to me. Maybe I am a witch!"  
  
Lily's mother seemed to be pondering the thought of having a witch in the family. Lily could read her expression. At first, she looked frightened. Then she seemed to be thinking that it would come in useful.  
  
" There's only one way to get to the bottom of this," said Mr. Evans, looking thoughtful. " We need to respond to this letter and meet this- this- Dumbledore. As a fellow educator I am sure that he can explain this whole wizarding thing-"  
  
" Will he come here?" asked Petunia, looking scandalized. "We can't have him come here! It's enough to have one of them in the house!"  
  
Lily looked at her coldly. " I think Petunia's just jealous."  
  
Petunia stormed upstairs, making a great deal of racket. Lily smiled to herself. Maybe she wasn't so strange anyway.  
  
Part Five: Peter A small, round boy with mousy brown hair sat at his kitchen table, shoveling food down his mouth. The boy was eating some of everything on the table- eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, waffles, and pancakes. Peter Pettigrew's watery blue eyes were fixed on the last piece of bacon, which he intended to have for himself.  
  
A young girl with blonde hair in pigtails sat beside him, sipping her glass of orange juice. A boy of about seven sat across from his youngest sister, Jessica, who was only four. Jessica continued to sip her juice as she watched her older brother Brian reading the Daily Prophet upside down.  
  
A plump witch and wizard stood by the stove, preparing more food. As Mrs. Pettigrew's cheerful face emerged, with a large platter of food in her hands, she turned to Peter.  
  
" Oh, Peter! You're finally up!" she said sweetly, just realizing that he had arrived several minutes ago. " Your Hogwarts letter arrived this morning."  
  
Peter perked up at the sound of this, and asked, " Where is it?"  
  
Mr. Pettigrew handed the letter to Peter and his younger siblings watched with envy as their older brother opened his first acceptance letter to Hogwarts.  
  
" Mind you," his father grunted. " I was relieved to get this. I was afraid that you might have been a Squib." Peter frowned as he tore open the envelope at his father's statement. Peter pulled out a letter identical to the ones all other Hogwarts first years received.  
  
HOGWARTS SCHOOL Of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY Under the new direction of Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)  
  
Dear Mr. Pettigrew,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been excepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We await your owl no later than July 31.  
  
Yours sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress  
  
Peter read the letter and grinned foolishly, before shoving it for his brother to pretend to read (upside down). After a few seconds, his brother nodded, and shoved it back at Peter with a glare of contempt.  
  
" Four more years for you, Brian." said Peter, counting on his fingers.  
  
" What about for me?" piped up Jessica.  
  
Peter used his fingers again to count. " Six."  
  
" No, Peter." said his father. " Seven years."  
  
" Oh, right." muttered Peter, embarrassed.  
  
His father shook his head.  
  
A/N: I hope that nobody minds that I made Peter's part shorter. I just don't know anything about his family, and I'm sure that no one wants to hear much about that rat! I hope that you enjoyed this first chapter. The next chapter will be about the Sorting Ceremony. Please read and review! 


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